The First Heart

The First Heart: Prologue

It was so cold outside.

That was the first thing Riley noticed as soon as she stepped out of her house. A small white cloud escaped her mouth when she exhaled. She frowned, she thought it was a weird weather for a summer night.

She took a step back and poked her head through the—still open—front door of the house. She could feel the warmness inside without having to step in. It made her frown even deeper. But Riley couldn't be late for her meeting, so she brushed it off quickly. Climate change was really taking a toll on the planet.

Riley closed the door and locked it. She walked past her front yard and took a right turn down the sidewalk. She glanced quickly at her watch.

"Shit," She muttered under her breath.

Her pace sped up to a sprint. She knew what would happen if she was late. And she couldn't afford it this time. So she ran. Faster and faster. Until her lungs ached. Until the houses and the picket fences and the trees all blurred together. Like a mirror that hadn't been cleaned in a long time.

She reached the end of the sidewalk. She would have to cross the street to reach the school building.

Riley turned to check both sides before crossing the street. There was no one. Just the chilly air and the eerie singsong of the wind. She quickly glanced behind her. An empty street stared back at her. Again, there was no one. So why did she feel like someone was watching her?

She finally crossed the street, hurriedly. But when she looked up her blood went cold. Her breath hitched in her throat. Her heart was beating out of her chest. She could hear it. Thump, thump, thump, against her ribcage.

About ten feet in front of her there was a tall, lanky figure staring back at her. It was standing there stoically. Its feet didn't look like they were touching the floor. Its hands, they appeared blurry and see-through. As did its whole body. Except for a fist-sized spot on the left side of its chest. It appeared out of place. Almost as if it didn't belong there.

Riley rubbed her eyes. Once. Twice. The figure was still there... It wasn't moving any closer. It didn't look like it could move at all. But its presence irradiated an intimidating energy that made Riley jump out of her skin.

Riley decided that no matter the punishment she received for skipping the meeting, she was not about to be murdered by this weird individual. Or taken to a mental hospital. She convinced herself that her eyes were playing tricks on her. That's what it was. She was sure. But she still didn't move an inch.

If anything, she stepped backwards. One feet on the street. And the other on the sidewalk. Ready to flee if necessary. She wanted to run home and curl up in her bed, under her silky sheets. But her body was petrified.

Her heart was skipping a few beats and her lungs... they weren't working. It was like someone had poked a hole through them. And all the oxygen she inhaled flew right out.

She was scared.

That's when Riley noticed the figure was not as far away from her as before.  She could make out the outline of its face. The long black hair that flowed down its shoulders.

A cold breath fanned on Riley's face as a bony hand with long nails scratched her cheek. Almost instantly, blood was pouring down her face. Down her neck. She couldn't move. She couldn't scream. But her phone was in her hand. She pressed the on/off button five times. Directing a call to her emergency contact. Her mother.

Just as the tall figure bent over. Red eyes stared into Riley's soul. She didn't know it then, but it would be the last thing she would ever see. As the ghostly figure opened its mouth inhumanly large. A shriek deafened Riley. And soon enough she was falling, falling, falling into the darkness of the night.

Those ruby red eyes spiraling in her conscience.

Her body was light like a feather. She didn't feel any pain, or fear, or anything bad. All she felt was peace. As if nothing bad could ever happen to her. Even though it already had.

The tall figure licked the blood off Riley's unconscious body. And it stood there. It watched her frail body stiffen and go cold. It watched as the remains of her life slipped away.

When it was clear that the job was done, and she wouldn't wake up anymore. The same bony hand that injured her cheek before, grabbed both of her legs. And dragged the body past the bushes and into the nothingness.